Friday, April 26, 2013

April is an interesting month.The thought that April showers bring May flowers might make you think that April's purpose is to open the door to the joys of May. But April has its own excitement, that this author feels might often go unnoticed.First thing, April first. The month starts off with pranks. Perhaps this is a good indication of what April weather is like (at least in Toronto this year; it seems like each day has had a not-so-subtle dash of "just kidding!")Secondly, according to my Wikipedia research, many organizations choose to elect April as their advocacy month. Not only is it Jazz Appreciation month, but also National Poetry Month in the States.World Health Day and Earth Day both occur in April. Thailand, Laos, Burma, and Cambodia celebrate the New Year, and the much loved Record Store Day takes place in cities around the globe.April is an exciting month, and we've had our own share of the fun that April holds.Carol and Donna took a trip to Milan mid-month to visit the annual Milan Furniture Fair. As the largest event of its kind, the city becomes a swath of curated design.Our #74 in Sepia from the Art Day Collection was a featured rug in Cover Magazine's Forza Tappeti: The Rug Revolution, amongst a selection of other esteemed international rug designs.The Milan trip wasn't just for rugs, though. Carol and Donna had a chance to explore some of the other exhibits.Here's a round-up of what they found inspiring at Milan 2013:1. GlassThere was a variety of stunning glass works, but a stand-out for Carol and Donna were these lighting pieces from the Arbor Collection by Baroncelli.

2. WallcoveringsAlthough Carnovsky first displayed these wallcoverings in 2010, they remain captivating and inspiring. Carol and Donna enjoyed the playfulness of the changing pattern.

3. Sculptural ChairsChairs are often a go-to for designer's who want to manifest their creative vision. Carol and Donna enjoyed these sculptural pieces by Umberto Dattola.

4. Innovative Booth Design

Probably the most talked about booth was Missoni's patterned environment (designed by Carnovsky), but Carol and Donna found another favourite with this interesting interactive space.

5. GeometryGeometry was spotted throughout the exhibit, but what caught our leaders's eyes were the designs of Serbian origami artist, Uros Mihic.

Enjoy the rest of this lovely month, and see you amongst the flowers of May :)